Updated for Version 4.1

Wriothesley is a 5-star Cryo Catalyst character in Genshin Impact who deals damage through his enhanced Normal and Charged Attacks. Learn about Wriothesley’s best builds, Talent priority, best weapons, best artifacts, and best teams in this quick guide.

Note that the information given may change if new discoveries are made. More extensive testing is in progress.

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Table of Contents

Infographic

Design: euphorysm
Content: irokei

Character Overview

Playstyles

Wriothesley’s unique mechanics make shielders and healers heavily recommended at C0 and still recommended even at C1+. He is an on-field DPS in all of his playstyles.

Reverse Melt DPS

Off-field Pyro appliers allow Wriothesley to Melt a portion of his damage, particularly his enhanced Charged Attacks. This archetype is the strongest among his intended playstyles but can suffer from positioning issues due to Bennett’s limited Burst AoE.

Burnmelt teams with Nahida or Baizhu are also viable in conjunction with Pyro application from units like Thoma and Dehya or Kazuha’s Pyro-absorbed Burst.

Mono Cryo / Freeze DPS

This team aims to buff Wriothesley’s personal damage through Cryo Resonance and 4pc Viridescent Venerer RES Shred. An off-field Hydro applier maintains Freeze.

Hyperbloom

Wriothesley can be used as an on-field driver in Hyperbloom teams (with a healer) as a cheap and accessible way to clear content. While this is not his intended playstyle, it is noted here since it is viable in Spiral Abyss.

Talents

Talent Priority

Normal Attack ≥ Skill > Burst

The majority of Wriothesley’s damage is dealt by his Normal Attacks (and Charged Attacks at C1), so these have priority for leveling. His Skill and Burst can be leveled afterwards.

Talent Overview

Normal Attack

Elemental Skill

Elemental Burst

Ascension 1 Passive

Ascension 4 Passive

Normal Attack

Normal Attack | Forceful Fists of Frost

Talent Description

Normal Attack
Coalescing frost about his fist, Wriothesley will unleash powerful Repelling Fists, performing up to 5 rapid attacks that deal Cryo DMG.
Apart from this, Normal Attack combo count will not reset for a short time after using Icefang Rush or sprinting.

Charged Attack
Consumes a fixed amount of Stamina to leap and unleash a Vaulting Fist, dealing AoE Cryo DMG.

Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE Cryo DMG upon impact.

Wriothesley’s Normal and Charged Attacks are the main focus of his kit, dishing out the majority of his damage. His attacks are short-ranged but hit in a modest AoE.

Wriothesley’s Normal Attack string has a total of six hits, and does not automatically reset after dashing or using his Skill. However, the attack string can still reset with a jump cancel, walk cancel, or if a short duration has elapsed between Normal Attacks. In contrast to most other Catalysts, his Normal Attacks have considerable hitlag, reducing the effectiveness of Attack SPD buffs.

Wriothesley’s Charged Attacks are considered Blunt damage, meaning that they Shatter Frozen enemies; though this is not a huge concern in Freeze teams as he quickly reapplies Cryo with subsequent Normal Attacks. However, his unenhanced Charged Attack has a large 50 Stamina cost, making it difficult to use without his A1 Passive in play.

Elemental Skill

Elemental Skill | Icefang Rush

Talent Description

Adjusting his breathing, rhythm, and pace, Wriothesley sprints forward a short distance, entering the Chilling Penalty state and unleashing more powerful attacks than before.

Chilling Penalty

Increases Wriothesley’s interruption resistance
When his HP is above 50%, it will enhance the Repelling Fists of Normal Attack: Forceful Fists of Frost and increase its DMG. When such an attack hits, it will consume a fixed amount of Wriothesley’s HP. HP can be lost this way once every 0.1s.

This effect will be canceled should Wriothesley leave the field.

Wriothesley’s Skill has several functions:

Increasing the damage dealt by his Normal Attacks.
Causing enhanced Normal Attacks to generate a Cryo Particle every 2s.
Slightly reducing his HP with every Normal Attack hit. This HP drain allows him to consistently activate buffs that require HP changes such as 4pc Marechaussee Hunter’s set effect.
Increasing his interruption resistance; however, he is still vulnerable to stagger from heavier enemy attacks. A shielder can help alleviate the need to dash to avoid getting staggered.

The first three effects only apply if Wriothesley is above 50% HP, so healing from his teammates or A1 Passive is required for his Skill to function over multiple rotations. His combos can be HP-negative without C1, so a healer is necessary to maintain 100% Skill uptime at C0.

The Skill duration ends if he swaps off-field, incentivizing teammates with consistent off-field damage and application, long-lasting buffs, and short field time requirements. Due to hitlag, the Skill duration may be extended to ~12s at C0 if continuously hitting enemies.

Note that this Skill does not buff Wriothesley’s Charged Attacks. It also does not deal damage, preventing him from triggering effects such as Solar Pearl’s passive.

Elemental Burst

Elemental Burst | Darkgold Wolfbite

Talent Description

Activating his boxing gloves, Wriothesley strikes out with an icy straight, then uses Icicle Impact to cause multiple instances of AoE Cryo DMG in a frontal area.

Arkhe: Ousia
After Icicle Impact ends, a Surging Blade will descend upon the opponent’s position, dealing Ousia-aligned Cryo DMG.

A straightforward Burst of AoE damage that hits 5 times. It is generally best to use it towards the end of Wriothesley’s field time to benefit from his A4 Passive (and C2) and to not waste buff uptime on his Skill. However, this means that the Burst usually does not benefit from buffs, making it less important to overall damage.

This Talent also deals a single hit of Ousia-aligned damage, which can be helpful against Pneuma-aligned enemies or constructs.

Ascension 1 Passive

Ascension 1 Passive | There Shall Be a Plea for Justice

Talent Description

When Wriothesley’s HP is less than 60%, he will obtain a Gracious Rebuke. The next Charged Attack of his Normal Attack: Forceful Fists of Frost will be enhanced to become Rebuke: Vaulting Fist. It will not consume Stamina, will deal 50% increased DMG, and after hitting will restore HP for Wriothesley equal to 30% of his Max HP.

You can gain a Gracious Rebuke this way once every 5s

If Wriothesley’s HP falls below 60%, his next Charged Attack has increased damage, no Stamina cost, and a self-healing effect. While these effects are useful, they are held back by several restrictions.

In teams with consistent healers, Wriothesley’s HP is unlikely to fall below 60%, which prevents this passive from activating. This passive can still act as an emergency heal at C0 in case Wriothesley receives too much damage.

Teams without a healer are still limited by the passive’s 5s cooldown — at C0, it is unlikely to activate more than twice per Skill use. Thus, the HP drain from Wriothesley’s enhanced Normal Attacks can occasionally overtake his A1’s healing, causing him to fall below the 50% HP threshold required for his Skill. This issue is worsened if he receives any other HP loss. However, using an N3C combo and a shielder can mostly negate this problem by reducing his HP drain rate with Charged Attacks (which don’t consume HP), some of which are enhanced by this passive.

This passive becomes much more impactful with Wriothesley’s Constellations, particularly C1.

Ascension 4 Passive

Ascension 4 Passive | There Shall Be a Reckoning for Sin

Talent Description

When Wriothesley’s current HP increases or decreases, if he is in the Chilling Penalty state conferred by Icefang Rush, Chilling Penalty will gain one stack of Prosecution Edict. Max 5 stacks. Each stack will increase Wriothesley’s ATK by 6%.

A simple but effective 30% ATK buff. This passive further incentivizes using Wriothesley’s Burst at the end of his field time.

Constellations

While Wriothesley can still perform well even at C0, each of his Constellations improves his damage output and make him easier to use. C1 is a good stopping point, though C2 can also be useful if you do get it.

Constellation 1

Constellation 2

Constellation 3

Constellation 4

Constellation 5

Constellation 6

Constellation 1

Constellation 1 | Terror for the Evildoers

The Gracious Rebuke from the Passive Talent “There Shall Be a Plea for Justice” is changed to this:

When Wriothesley’s HP is less than 60% or while he is in the Chilling Penalty state caused by Icefang Rush, when the fifth attack of Repelling Fists hits, it will create a Gracious Rebuke. 1 Gracious Rebuke effect can be obtained every 2.5s.

Additionally, Rebuke: Vaulting Fist will obtain the following enhancement:
• The DMG Bonus gained will be further increased to 200%.
• When it hits while Wriothesley is in the Chilling Penalty state, that state’s duration is extended by 4s. 1 such extension can occur per 1 Chilling Penalty duration.

You must first unlock the Passive Talent “There Shall Be a Plea for Justice.”

This Constellation slightly alters Wriothesley’s playstyle and provides a sizable DPS increase. If you have C1, add a Charged Attack to the end of each Normal Attack string.

It allows Wriothesley’s A1 Passive to trigger by completing a Normal Attack chain, regardless of his HP, making it possible to use his enhanced Charged Attacks while still having healers on the team. He can also feasibly maintain his HP above 50% solely through his enhanced Charged Attacks, assuming he doesn’t take damage from other sources. Furthermore, enhanced Charged Attacks receive a significant damage boost; this also makes Reverse Melt teams more effective.

This Constellation’s increase to Skill duration is not particularly useful as most buffs expire well before reaching the end of the extended duration. Outside of finishing off the last enemies of Spiral Abyss wave or chamber or overworld combat, Wriothesley should follow his normal team rotations.

Constellation 2

Constellation 2 | Shackles for the Arrogant

When using Darkgold Wolfbite, each Prosecution Edict stack from the Passive Talent “There Shall Be a Reckoning for Sin” will increase said ability’s DMG dealt by 40%.

You must first unlock the Passive Talent “There Shall Be a Reckoning for Sin.”

Grants a massive DMG Bonus to Wriothesley’s Burst that scales with his A4 stacks. Greatly incentivizes using his Burst at the end of his combo.

Constellation 3

Constellation 3 | Punishment for the Frauds

Increases the Level of Normal Attack: Forceful Fists of Frost by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.

A simple damage increase to Wriothesley’s most important Talent (his Normal Attacks).

Constellation 4

Constellation 4 | Redemption for the Suffering

The HP restored to Wriothesley through Rebuke: Vaulting Fist will be increased to 50% of his Max HP. You must first unlock the Passive Talent “There Shall Be a Plea for Justice.”

Additionally, when Wriothesley is healed, if the amount of healing overflows, the following effects will occur depending on whether he is on the field or not. If he is on the field, his ATK SPD will be increased by 20% for 4s. If he is off-field, all of your own party members’ ATK SPD will be increased by 10% for 6s. These two methods of increasing ATK SPD cannot stack.

Increases the healing from enhanced Charged Attacks, making healerless teams more comfortable. It also grants a decent Attack SPD buff for Wriothesley if he receives excess healing. The team Attack SPD while Wriothesley is off-field is not very significant.

Constellation 5

Constellation 5 | Mercy for the Wronged

Increases the Level of Darkgold Wolfbite by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.

A decent buff for his Burst, leading to a minor damage increase overall.

Constellation 6

Constellation 6 | Esteem for the Innocent

The CRIT Rate of Rebuke: Vaulting Fist will be increased by 10%, and its CRIT DMG by 80%. When unleashed, it will also create an additional icicle that deals 100% of Rebuke: Vaulting Fist’s Base DMG as Cryo DMG. DMG dealt this way is regarded as Charged Attack DMG.

You must first unlock the Passive Talent “There Shall Be a Plea for Justice.”

Wriothesley’s C6 is his highest damage increase, as his enhanced Charged Attacks now hit twice and receive substantial CRIT buffs. Each hit of the enhanced Charged Attack has a separate ICD, which allows both hits to trigger Melt assuming sufficient Pyro application.

Combos

N = Normal Attack
C = Charged Attack

Note that it is still possible for Wriothesley’s Normal Attack string to reset after dashing if enough time has passed between Normal Attack inputs. Be especially wary at C1+, as you may accidentally delay or cancel the last hit of his Normal Attack, in turn losing out on an enhanced Charged Attack.

N3C	A strong combo at C0, allowing Wriothesley to stay above 50% HP without healers for much of his Skill uptime. However, it consumes more Stamina — especially in teams with healers. This combo favors healerless teams for A1 procs, but it is still strong with healers in the team.
N5C	His most reliable combo at C1+ as he can use an enhanced Charged Attack after every completed Normal Attack string. The Charged Attack should be canceled with a dash slightly before it hits to skip the long recovery animation. It can also be used as a simpler alternative combo at C0 with healers. This combo favors C6 buffs and Normal Attack DMG% coupled with Attack SPD buffs.

Artifacts

ER Requirements

Wriothesley’s Burst should only be used when it is available (typically every other rotation).

	Solo Cryo	Double Cryo	Triple Cryo
Recommended Burst every other rotation	100–125%	100–115%	100%
Not Recommended Burst every rotation	220%+	150–180%	130–150%

Favonius weapons reduce Wriothesley’s ER requirements by 20–25% with each passive proc. However, pre-C2 it may not be worth building enough ER to Burst every rotation, as this takes away substats that could have instead benefited his Normal and Charged Attacks. With his C2, it can be optimal to build enough ER to Burst every rotation.

Use the Energy Recharge Calculator to determine exact requirements for your team and rotation.

Artifact Stats

Stat Priority: CRIT > ATK% = EM (Reverse Melt) > ER

If using either 4pc Marechaussee Hunter or 4pc Blizzard Strayer, especially in conjunction with Cryo Resonance and/or CRIT Rate weapons, a CRIT DMG circlet is preferred due to the abundance of CRIT Rate buffs.

It is generally not worth building ER to Burst every rotation without C2, as this weakens his Normal and Charged Attacks which contribute more damage overall. He often does not need more than a few ER substats to cast it every two rotations.

Artifact Sets

Weapons

Note: Solar Pearl is not a good option because Wriothesley’s Skill cannot trigger the weapon’s passive effect; Flowing Purity is better.

Teams

Teambuilding

At C0, a healer is recommended to offset Wriothesley’s HP drain and keep his HP above the 50% threshold needed for his Skill. While not necessary at C1+, healers are still a safe choice.
Shielders or interruption resistance buffs are much appreciated to prevent him from getting staggered; in particular, getting interrupted before his final Normal Attack hits can prevent his C1 from taking effect.
Wriothesley’s long, uninterrupted field time requirement encourages teammates with long-lasting buffs and off-field damage, along with short field time requirements of their own.
Wriothesley’s short range makes teammate abilities that are mobile or have very large AoEs much more valuable. Unfortunately, many of his best teammates such as Bennett, Shenhe, or Diona do have restrictive AoEs (aka “Circle Impact”); be mindful about positioning and enemy behavior if using such units.
Cryo teammates help reduce his ER requirements and (outside of Reverse Melt teams) enable Cryo Resonance.

Notable Teammates

Healers

Shielders

Cryo

Anemo

Pyro

Hydro

Dendro

Geo

Healers

Healers are recommended to maintain enhanced Normal Attack uptime at C0 and are still advisable at higher Constellations.

Shielders

Cryo

Anemo

Pyro

Hydro

Dendro

Geo

Reverse Melt

**Wriothesley — Bennett — Pyro Applier — Flex Support**

A sustained off-field Pyro application is necessary for consistent Reverse Melts, particularly for Wriothesley’s C1+ enhanced Charged Attacks. This usually means bringing Bennett and either Xiangling or Jean. Nahida (via Burning) can be used to supplement slower methods of off-field Pyro application such as Thoma’s Burst or Dehya’s Skill. Try to avoid touching enemies affected by Burning since it deals damage to the on-field character.

It is very difficult to trigger Cryo Swirls for VV Shred while off-field Pyro application is active. Swirling Cryo before deploying Pyro abilities results in poor uptime on 4pc Viridescent Venerer RES Shred, so Anemo units may not be as practical in this archetype.

Example Teams

This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level.

**Wriothesley — Bennett — Xiangling — Zhongli**

Xiangling deals off-field damage and applies Pyro for Wriothesley to trigger Melts. Bennett provides healing, lowers Xiangling’s ER requirements, and grants a Flat ATK buff for both Wriothesley and Xiangling (which her Burst snapshots). Zhongli’s shield provides additional survivability, interruption resistance, and Cryo and Pyro RES Shred without needing complicated setups.

**Wriothesley — Bennett — Thoma — Nahida**

Nahida can maintain Burning with the help of Pyro application from Thoma’s Burst, which allows Wriothesley to Reverse Melt. Nahida also buffs the on-field character’s EM. Thoma provides a shield and, at C6, buffs Normal and Charged Attacks.

Mono Cryo and Freeze

This playstyle revolves around buffing Wriothesley’s damage with synergistic supports, particularly other Cryo characters to enable Cryo Resonance. Anemo units are also preferred to provide VV Shred and grouping. A Hydro flex can be used to enable Freeze, which provides extra survivability and helps keep enemies grouped up.

Mono Cryo variations (3 Cryo + 1 Anemo) are particularly effective with Shenhe since every teammate can proc her Icy Quill.

Example Teams

This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level.

**Wriothesley — Layla — Kazuha — Shenhe**

Wriothesley’s C1 removes the need for a healer. This allows Diona to be replaced with Layla, who provides a stronger shield, Tenacity of the Millelith’s ATK buff, and higher personal damage. Shenhe provides further buffs and her Icy Quill, which every teammate here can trigger effectively.

**Wriothesley — Shenhe — Lynette — Bennett**

Bennett provides a large Flat ATK buff and consistent healing. Lynette’s Burst that can absorb Cryo to trigger Shenhe’s Icy Quill; it can also taunt some melee enemies to keep them within Bennett’s Burst AoE. Note that Lynette’s Burst can be moved by enemy attacks, does not affect Bosses, and may be detrimental for luring in ranged enemies.

Kazuha and Yelan provide buffs and off-field damage, while Diona offers healing to keep Wriothesley above 50% HP. Yelan’s high damage output also allows the team to deal with Bosses effectively.

Hyperbloom

**Wriothesley — Dendro — Electro — Hydro**

Wriothesley can act as an on-field driver who contributes his personal damage and enables some Freeze uptime in Hyperbloom teams. While his Cryo application can be used to trigger slightly more Blooms (via the Freeze Bloom interaction), it still does not generate as many Dendro Cores compared to using an additional Dendro, Electro, or Hydro unit instead. Since these teams usually lack buffers, Wriothesley’s personal damage is much lower, with Hyperbloom making up the vast majority of team damage.

Example Teams

This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level.

**Wriothesley — Nahida — Kuki Shinobu — Xingqiu**

Nahida, Kuki Shinobu, and Xingqiu create a powerful off-field Hyperbloom core that dishes out high damage. Xingqiu can be substituted with either Yelan or Kokomi, though they reduce the amount of Dendro Cores generated. Kokomi also allows Kuki Shinobu to be replaced with Raiden.

Credits

rafael0055, nikatosaurus, leifa, .athene., polomo, irokei, miannes, fritzzes, reens, casdela, alehannita

Team images courtesy of the KQM portrait generator.

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
ATK% or Elemental Mastery (Reverse Melt)	Cryo DMG Bonus	CRIT DMG or CRIT Rate

4pc Marechaussee Hunter (MH)	Wriothesley’s Best-in-Slot set that works in all playstyles, granting him a sizable 36% CRIT Rate buff along with Normal and Charged Attack DMG%. Farm this set unless you already have strong pieces of the sets below.
4pc Shimenawa’s Reminiscence (SR)	Wriothesley’s second-best set in all playstyles. Due to the Energy drain from the 4pc effect, Wriothesley will use his Burst even less frequently. If Wriothesley is at C2+, this set is not recommended since the value of his Burst increases at those Constellations.
4pc Blizzard Strayer (BS)	Provides slightly more CRIT Rate than MH against Frozen enemies. However, it is generally not worth farming over MH which is much less restrictive. This set performs on par with 4pc SR in Mono Cryo teams. It is worth noting that Frozen uptime is reduced by Shatter from Wriothesley’s Charged Attacks.
2pc Mixed Sets	2pc combinations of Marechaussee Hunter, Blizzard Strayer, and ATK% sets. Placeholders while farming for 4pc Marechaussee Hunter

Cashflow Supervision	Wriothesley’s signature weapon is his Best-in-Slot, providing a plethora of useful buffs. The Attack SPD buff can reduce Wriothesley’s field time and allows more attacks to benefit from team buffs. Use a CRIT DMG Circlet to avoid overcapping on CRIT Rate. This weapon makes it more difficult to build Wriothesley in Freeze and Mono Cryo teams since you can easily overcap on CRIT Rate due to Cryo Resonance.
Tulaytullah’s Remembrance	Tullaytullah’s Remembrance performs on par with Cashflow Supervision at least up to C1. It grants similar Normal Attack and Attack SPD buffs but does not buff Charged Attack DMG. It also doesn’t put you at risk of overcapping CRIT Rate in Freeze and Mono Cryo teams.
5-Star Options	Tome of the Eternal Flow / Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds / Skyward Atlas / Memory of Dust / Kagura’s Verity Various stat sticks that have similar performance to each other. Memory of Dust is more valuable with a reliable shielder.
Flowing Purity	Flowing Purity is Wriothesley’s best free weapon and also his best 4-star weapon, granting a potent DMG% buff. At high refinements, it is comparable with some of his 5-star options. However, Flowing Purity should be used with a healer before Constellation 4. Without a healer, The Bond of Life will block a healing instance from an enhanced Charged Attack every rotation, eventually causing Wriothesley to fall below 50% HP.
Ballad of the Boundless Blue	A decent event weapon that provides useful buffs and helps fulfill Wriothesley’s ER requirements. You should really only consider this if you do not have 5-star options and do not want to use billets for Flowing Purity.
The Widsith	Very powerful for a short duration, but averages out to a modest performance over multiple rotations. The EM buff is useless outside of Reverse Melt playstyles.
Eye of Perception, Frostbearer	Only consider these weapons if none of the above Catalysts are available and you have previously made the mistake of forging Frostbearer.

Bennett	Bennett provides a sizable Flat ATK buff and continuous healing within his Burst. He is practically mandatory in Reverse Melt teams for enabling either Xiangling or Jean.
Diona	Diona provides healing and can funnel plenty of Cryo Particles using Sacrificial Bow. Her shield is also greatly appreciated.
Mika	Mika is a Cryo healer who also provides an Attack SPD buff, but due to Wriothesley’s high hitlag, the Attack SPD buffs are not as impactful.
Jean	Alongside teamwide healing and 4pc Viridescent Venerer RES Shred, Jean can rapidly apply Pyro from off-field in conjunction with Bennett (read more). However, this is very limiting in terms of duration and range.
Sayu	Sayu is an alternative Anemo healer and 4pc Viridescent Venerer holder.
Kokomi, Barbara	Kokomi and Barbara are Hydro healers who can carry Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers and provide some off-field Hydro application.
Kuki Shinobu	Kuki Shinobu consolidates the role of Hyperbloom trigger and healer in Wriothesley’s Hyperbloom teams.

Layla	Layla provides a strong shield, off-field particle generation, decent personal damage, and buffs through 4pc Tenacity of the Millelith.
Thoma	Thoma provides slow off-field Pyro application and a decent shield.
Zhongli	Zhongli boasts the strongest shield in the game that also provides Universal RES Shred.
Diona	Diona provides healing and can funnel plenty of Cryo Particles to Wriothesley using Sacrificial Bow. Her shield is also greatly appreciated.